Cole
Roofing Company is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Founded
in 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, the company currently employs more than 100
workers and focuses on commercial roofing work, with a diverse portfolio that
includes single ply, built-up roofing, metal, wall panels, and renewable energy
systems.

In 2012,
William Robert Cole, known as Billy, took over the helm of the company from his
father, William Roland Cole, known as Bill. Billy Cole represents the fourth
generation of his family to run the business. As the company commemorated this
milestone, Bill and Billy Cole shared their memories of the company and insights
on the industry with Roofing.

100 Years of History

Bill’s
grandfather, John H. Cole Sr., founded the company as John H. Cole & Sons
after World War I. “My grandfather started the business in his basement making
ductwork for home furnaces,” Bill says.

The
business expanded to include gutters and downspouts, which led to installing shingle
roofing. “Near the end of World War WII, my grandfather died suddenly,” Bill recalls.
“All three of the older sons were off in the military. My grandmother, Mary
Cole, ran the business for about two years until the war ended and the sons
returned.”

Two of
Mary’s sons, John and Bud Cole, took over the business after the war. In the
50s, the company started installing BUR on row houses in Baltimore. In the 60s,
at Bud’s initiative, the company began doing commercial work. Bud bought out
his brother in the mid-60s, and the commercial side of the business continued
to grow as the residential side tapered off.

John H. Cole Sr. founded the company as John H. Cole & Sons in 1919.

“In the
late 70s, I saw an opportunity with the introduction of single-ply membranes,”
Bill says. “We shut down our residential side and trained all our steep roofers
to install single-ply roofing.”

Bill
Cole became president of the company in 1989 and continued to build the company,
expanding into metal roofing. After years of being known as Cole Roofing, the
company officially changed its name from John H. Cole & Sons to Cole
Roofing Company Inc. in 1998. The business has continued to diversify in the 21st
century, expanding into areas including green roofs, photovoltaic systems and
metal wall panels. Bill served as president until 2012, when Billy was named
president; Bill remains with the company as senior vice president.

Following in Their Father’s Footsteps

Bill remembers
being exposed to the business at an early age. “Sometimes on Saturdays when I
was 10 or 12, my dad would go out and look at jobs, and sometimes he would take
me with him,” Bill notes. He began working summers at the company in 1971 after
his sophomore year of high school. His starting wage was $2.75 an hour. He was
surprised to find out the laborer working alongside him — a college student —
was making $3 an hour. “I stormed into my dad’s office to ask him what the heck
was going on,” Bill recalls. “My dad didn’t even blink. He said, ‘Well, one day
you’ll be able to tell people you truly started at the bottom.’”

Cole Roofing Company is a fourth-generation family business. Billy Cole (left) is the company’s president. His father, Bill Cole (right), the former president, remains with the company as senior vice president.

Bill worked on
some of the company’s high-profile projects, including Baltimore City Hall, the
National Aquarium, M&T Bank Stadium and the U.S. Naval Academy. “We did
almost all of the slate roofs at the Naval Academy,” he notes. “Over the years,
we did a tremendous amount of work down there. We don’t do much slate anymore,
but back in its heyday, in the late 50s and 60s, we did a lot of slate work.”

Billy got his
first opportunity to work for the company at age 13, when he did odd jobs
including cleaning up the yard and cutting the grass. “I moved on to destroying
things with fork lifts, and then when I got my driver’s license, I moved on to
destroying things with pickup trucks,” Billy explains. “Thank goodness my dad
was patient.”

Billy worked summers
for Cole Roofing while in high school and continued to work at the company
while taking night courses at nearby Towson University. He decided to follow in
his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, and he’s found it a rewarding
experience.

“I had the
fortunate opportunity to learn a lot about succession planning and running a
family business from my grandfather and father,” Billy says. “I like what I do.
Roofing fills this need for people. You’re genuinely helping them when they need
it the most. People do need an expert to help them at that point, when water is
coming in their building and preventing them from functioning. It ranks high on
their crisis level.”

Adapting to a Changing World

Bill and
Billy Cole believe the company has thrived by staying on the leading edge — and
not the bleeding edge — of change in the industry. “We have always kept an eye
toward the future,” notes Bill. “We don’t always want to be the first — let
someone else work the bugs out — but we are never far behind.”

The
Coles point to three examples of key technological advancements over the years that
benefitted the company: embracing single-ply membranes, the early adoption of
computers, and taking a leading role in roof-related renewable energy.

The demand for green roofs has surged in the Baltimore and D.C. markets, and Cole Roofing adapted to help customers meet their needs.

“The biggest
change during my time was the introduction of single-ply membranes,” Bill says.
“We always treated single ply as a separate division because in our opinion the
skill set was so different. Retraining our steep roofers to be single-ply
roofers was a great move for the guys and the company.”

While some
companies abandoned built-up roofing entirely, Cole Roofing’s approach kept BUR
as a viable part of the company’s portfolio. “Built-up roofing never went away
from Cole Roofing,” Bill says. “As a result of that, we were able to use our
single-ply division to grow the company. We never gave up on built-up roofing.
It has stood the test of time.”

Bill readily
admits that adding computers benefitted the business, but he was not fond of
the idea at first. The company introduced computers to the accounting
department, and it snowballed from there. “We fought that change like almost
every other contractor I know,” Bill says. “Once we got into that world, it was
wonderful. Eventually they put a computer on my desk and I became the spread
sheet king. For a ten-year period, it really gave us a leg up on the competition.”

Under Billy’s
leadership, the company has focused on further upgrading its computer capabilities.
Billy also spearheaded a program to focus on living roofs and renewable energy,
including photovoltaics.

“Historically, I
saw where my grandfather and father felt it was important that if there was a
reliable, trustworthy product that got introduced into the roofing universe, we
needed to be able to provide that for our customers,” Billy says. “In the early
2000s, vegetative roofs started to pop up, and that made sense to us. We
believed there was a way to do it that would maintain the integrity of the roof
and still provide some ancillary benefits.”

Aided by
legislation in the Baltimore and D.C. markets promoting storm water management,
the green roof market surged. “That opened our eyes to the concept of using the
roof as a platform — as something other than the roof being just an umbrella
for your building,” Billy recalls. “Once I learned about solar and understood
the economics and the return, that made me gravitate toward the idea of
building small power plants on top of people’s buildings.”

A Culture of Safety

For all
of the company’s accomplishments, there is one that stands above the rest,
according to the Coles: the development of a comprehensive safety and loss
prevention program.

“Cole
was a leader in introducing real safety to the roofing industry,” Bill says. “It
all started when I met an insurance consultant named Ben Tyler in the late 70s.
He convinced me that we should be partners with our insurance companies, not
adversaries. I put together a subcommittee of field employees and supervisors,
and with guidance from Ben we built a comprehensive loss control program.”

The subcommittee
developed two manuals — a company handbook and a safety handbook — and the
experience changed the company. “It was an eye-opener, but we saw results,”
Bill says. “We’ve been told by the insurance companies that we have dealt with
over the years our experience mod was much lower than any other roofers that
they knew.”

Cole
Roofing was asked to give a presentation about its loss control program at the
NRCA convention in the mid 80s. “I got to know some of my competitors, and I
began to share some of the stuff we were doing,” Bill remembers. “People asked
us to share our program with them, and we freely did that. A lot of companies
are probably still running a version of the Cole Roofing safety program today.”

Cole Roofing
now employs a full-time loss control manager and two quality control
inspectors. “We all put safety first and provide support, training, and
accountability to the field team,” Billy says. “The field team has a culture of
brotherhood. They all look out for one another and are encouraged to hold each
other accountable, regardless of rank, to be safe and follow the rules. We
start with focusing on getting everyone back to their family every day;
compliance is a byproduct.”

Family Matters

Since announcing
the 100th anniversary, the Coles have been overwhelmed by the
outpouring of support from former employees and competitors alike. Bill chalks his
company’s successful track record to “keeping it simple.” He also points to a
company culture that emphasizes a strong work ethic and a commitment to its
employees.

“Somewhere along
the line, my dad made it clear to me that our biggest asset in our company was
its employees,” Bill says. “Running a family business is not easy. We’ve had
our trials and tribulations. I think the answer for us is that we have always
treated our employees as family, which better prepares us to deal with our own
family.”

For Billy, summing
up the formula for the company’s success is simple: “We put our integrity first.”

The property owner of this building opted for a BUR/modified-bitumen hybrid system with reflective white coating. Photos: Johns Manville

The advantages of a built-up roofing (BUR), modified bitumen, or hybrid roofing assembly include long life, a variety of maintenance options, and outstanding puncture resistance. This durability means property owners will spend less time worrying about fixing leaking roofs and the associated hassles — lost productivity, disruption in operations, slips and falls, repair bills, and other liabilities.

Recommending clients install a roof system that gives them the best chance of eliminating unproductive distractions is a good business decision for design/construction professionals. A more durable roof will enable property owners to focus on making profits instead of dealing with the aftermath of a roof leak.

“I have no problem endorsing asphalt-based roofing,” says Luther Mock, RRC, FRCI and founder of building envelope consultants Foursquare Solutions Inc. “The redundancy created by multiple plies of roofing is really what sets systems like BUR and modified bitumen apart.”

One can argue BUR’s closest cousin — the modified bitumen (mod bit) assembly — is actually a built-up roof made on a manufacturing line. The reality is the plies of a BUR create a redundancy that can help mitigate any potential oversights in rooftop workmanship.

BUR systems are offered in a variety of attractive and reflective options with a proven track record of performance. Photos: Johns Manville

“I’ve replaced BURs for clients I worked with 30 years ago,” says Mock. “We recently replaced [a BUR] specified in the early 1980s. And the only reason was because some of the tectum deck panels had fallen out of the assembly. Meanwhile, the roof was still performing well after 30 years.”

According to the Quality Commercial Asphalt Roofing Council of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA), one of the main drivers of the demand for BUR systems is the desire of building owners for long life cycles for their roofs.

“A solid core of building owners and roofing professionals in North America continue to advocate asphalt-based roofing systems because of their long lives,” says Reed Hitchcock, ARMA’s executive director.

Benefits of Asphalt-Based Roofing

Over the years, asphalt-based roofing assemblies have earned a reputation for reliability with building owners, roofing consultants, architects, engineers, and commercial roofing contractors. The original price tag tends to be greater than other low-slope roofing options, but these assemblies offer competitive life-cycle costs. BUR enjoys a track record spanning more than 150 years; it provides a thick, durable roof covering and can be used in a broad range of building waterproofing applications.

An aerial view of a reflective roof membrane. Photos: Johns Manville

Available as part of fire-, wind-, and/or hail-rated systems, BUR and modified bitumen assemblies offer proven waterproofing capabilities, high tensile strength, long-term warranties, and a wide choice of top surfacings (including ‘cool’ options). Their components include the deck, vapor retarder, insulation, membrane, flashings, and surfacing material. The roofing membrane can be made up of a variety of components, including up to four high-strength roofing felts, modified bitumen membranes (hybrid systems) and standard or modified asphalt. Hot-applied asphalt typically serves as the waterproofing agent and adhesive for the system.

The roofing membrane is protected from the elements by a surfacing layer — either a cap sheet, gravel embedded in bitumen, or a coating material. Surfacings can also enhance the roofing system’s fire performance and reflectivity ratings.

Another surfacing option is gravel, commonly used in Canadian applications where the existing roof structure can handle the extra weight. There are also several smooth-surface coating options, the most popular of which are aluminum or clay emulsion products offering greater reflectivity than a smooth, black, non-gravel-surfaced roof. These reflective roof coating options are typically used in warmer regions when required by code. Reflective white roof coatings are also becoming more popular.

Cold-Process BUR

Cold application of BUR has provided an alternative to traditional hot-applied systems for more than 48 years. The term ‘cold-applied’ means the BUR roofing system is assembled using multiple plies of reinforcement applied with a liquid adhesive instead of hot asphalt. These cold adhesives are used between reinforced base/ply sheets to provide a weatherproof membrane.

The owner of this shopping mall chose BUR primarily due to its redundancy. Multiple plies of roofing can provide extra insurance against water intrusion. Photos: Johns Manville

In BUR cold-process roof systems, manufacturers typically require that only fully coated, non-porous felts (such as standard base sheets) are used as base and ply sheets. Generally, an aggregate surfacing or a coating is then applied over the completed membrane to provide surface protection and a fire rating for the roof system.

“In the re-roofing market, we’re definitely seeing more cold-applied systems being specified, particularly with modified bitumen,” says Mock. “It’s a natural alternative when a building may be occupied during the reroofing process and hot asphalt is not an option.”

Adhesives can be manually applied with a squeegee, brush, or spray application equipment. When numerous roof penetrations or rooftop access become issues, manual application of adhesives is usually the best option. Proper coverage rates are vital to a successful, long-term, cold-applied roof system. Both spray and manual application methods require the proper amount of adhesive material be installed. If too little adhesive is applied, there is a potential for an improper bond to be formed between the felts. If too much is applied, then the potential for longer setup times and membrane slippage is increased. Additionally, ambient temperatures must be 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5°C) and rising before installation. This limits, but does not preclude, use of cold-process BUR in much of the northern United States and Canada.

“I’m also comfortable specifying BUR, because I’m confident I will have a seasoned contractor on the job,” says Mock. “The commitment in terms of skilled labor and equipment is simply too great for these contractors to be first-timers.”

Flashings are another critical component of every roofing system, particularly in cold-weather applications. Four-ply BURs use modified bitumen flashings almost exclusively. These membranes are predominantly styrene butadiene styrene (SBS)-modified and offer greater elongation in frigid climates where it counts most — at the interface of the roof system with other building components.

Use of a modified-bitumen base ply is one way of handling general flashing requirements, although modified bitumen cap sheets are more common.

BUR Repair and Maintenance

Like all roof systems to some extent, the life expectancy of a BUR system depends on the property owner’s commitment to routine maintenance. All roof systems can benefit from an owner willing to undertake a proactive management plan. BUR installed over an insulation package lends itself well to non-destructive testing in the future (e.g., infrared) as a means to maximize service life.

“Asphalt roofing systems have the potential for a very long life, and preventive maintenance is the key to realizing that potential,” says Hitchcock.

The goal is for problem areas to be detected and fixed before they develop into leaks. Inspections can reveal potentially troublesome situations, such as a loss of gravel surfacing, which could lead to felt erosion or brittleness. Less commonly, punctures and cuts to the membrane can occur, so it is wise to remove sharp objects and debris from the roof. Clogged drains or poorly sealed flashings also present problems that are repaired easily. The effects of chemical exhausts on roofing materials should also be monitored.

Preventive maintenance actions can help catch problems before they damage larger areas of the roof system. Inspections should be performed not only on aging roofs, but also on newly-installed roofs to guard against errors in installation, design, or specifications.

BUR and modified bitumen also have a long history of proven performance in the northern United States and Canada, where snow and ice buildup are common. Perhaps more than any other roof membrane, the BUR system shrugs off minor abuse.

BUR has proven to be a low-maintenance roofing system, and it can also be effectively repaired when needed. This means property owners can usually get more life out of a BUR. The ability to enhance the performance of existing BUR membranes with coatings, mod bit cap sheets, or flood coats of asphalt explain the long service lives of these systems in demanding applications.

“Property owners rarely have to replace a four-ply BUR until it is absolutely, positively worn out,” says one roofing contractor who asked to remain anonymous. “Based on experience, these asphalt-based systems ‘hang in there’ longer than less-robust roof options.”

When BUR Is Not the Best Option

There is no roofing product solution that will fit every building specification, and that certainly holds true for BUR. Probably more than any other roofing system (except spray polyurethane foam), the built-up roofing application is more of a skill than a science. As alternative systems have been introduced into the market, the job of finding experienced BUR contractors has become more difficult. This is especially true for the hot mopping of multi-ply BUR systems.

BURs are labor intensive and their installed cost will fluctuate with crude oil prices. However, as oil prices have continued to fall, BUR manufacturers have enjoyed the lowest asphalt pricing since the 2008-09 recession. (The price of oil peaked at about $117 a barrel in September 2012 and is $50 a barrel at this writing.) Typically BUR manufacturers will pass on a portion of these savings to their customers.

BUR has always held up well in life-cycle cost analyses. However, if a roof is not expected to last 20 years or more, it usually does not make sense to specify a premium four-ply BUR.

On larger projects, gravel-surfaced BURs are typically not practical from a cost standpoint unless a source of gravel is available locally. Projects where roof access is difficult often present challenges when roofing kettles are used. And despite the preponderance of low-fuming asphalts and kettles, re-roofing occupied buildings is often unacceptable to neighbors and/or the property owner.

Built-up roofing systems have sufficient strength to resist normal expansion and contraction forces that are exerted on a roof; however, they typically have a low ability to accommodate excessive building or substrate movement. Rephrased, if the roof must be used to “hold the walls” together or if the use of “loose-laid insulation” has a benefit, then a traditional three- or four-ply built-up roofing system is not a good choice.

A built-up roof typically provides high tensile strength with low elongation. Guidelines about where expansion joints should be installed in the roofing system should not be ignored by the designer. These guidelines include installing expansion joints where the deck changes direction, approximately every 200 feet (61 meters), although many consider that this dimension can be expanded for single-ply roofing membranes; where there is a change in deck material; and, anywhere there is a structural expansion joint, etc. Based on these requirements, on some projects it simply isn’t practical to use a BUR.

BUR materials must be kept dry before and during installation to prevent blistering in the roof system. Proper storage is the key: Do not overstock the roof; use breathable tarps to cover material on the roof; store material on pallets to minimize the possibility of material sitting in water; and store rolls on-end to prevent crushing. In general, polymeric single-ply membranes like TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) are less susceptible to storage issues.

Many roof consultants and product manufacturers clearly state that there should be no phased construction of a built-up roof. If phasing is required, then a BUR should not be specified. This is a clean and simple rule to understand; if the roof being constructed is a four-ply BUR, then only as much insulation should be installed as can be covered the same day with all four of the plies in the built-up roofing membrane. Phased construction of a built-up roof greatly increases the potential for blistering of the membrane and does not allow for the total number of plies to be installed in a shingled fashion. Phased application contains other perils, such as roofing over a small amount of overnight precipitation or dew that, even with the best of intentions, can cause harm.

As stated above, costlier modified bitumen materials should be specified for flashings and to strip in metal. Stripping in two plies of felt will most likely result in splitting at the joints in a gravel stop because the two-ply application cannot accommodate the movement in the edge metal. On new or existing buildings where significant expansion/contraction is expected, a TPO, PVC or EPDM roof membrane can save the property owners money and eliminate premature roof failure due to roof splitting.

Conclusion

Manufacturers across North America are making asphalt roofing systems like BUR better and more versatile for architects, builders, contractors, roofing consultants, and building owner/managers. Thanks especially to the addition of polymers that add stretch and strength, architects can now specify a commercial, low-slope roof as part of a multi-ply BUR system any way they want it — hot, cold, torch, or self-adhered (hybrid BUR) — to meet the individual low-slope roofing project’s needs.

Most importantly, asphalt-based roofing products offer exceptional life-cycle cost performance. They have proven to be reliable, easy to maintain, and are trusted to perform exceptionally well in extreme weather conditions.

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has completed a multi-year effort to develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for asphalt roofing systems. These five new documents provide information that building and construction professionals can use both to support environmental aspects of roof systems as part of sustainable building projects and to better understand their impact over time. EPDs are now available for asphalt shingle roofing systems, SBS and APP modified bitumen systems, and built-up roofing systems.

When architects and specifiers embark on new green building initiatives, they need to validate the environmental aspects of the building materials they use. EPDs are used to provide this information and to support the credibility of environmental claims. ARMA worked with thinkstep, a sustainability consulting company, and with UL Environment to validate the EPDs. These comprehensive documents outline the environmental attributes associated with the manufacturing of various asphalt-related roofing materials.
ARMA’s development of these five EPDs reflects the continued use and advancement of asphalt roofing materials. In some cases, these documents are needed to fulfill requirements for green building rating systems and initiatives such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Globes, and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC).

“As the worldwide building and construction community continues to expand the focus on creating environmentally responsible and resource-efficient building projects, asphalt roofing has a critical role to play,” said Reed Hitchcock, ARMA’s executive vice president. “ARMA is committed to supporting sustainable building initiatives, and we are proud to provide the industry with this important environmental information.”

“These EPDs will help architects and engineers make sustainable choices in roof design,” said Amy Ferryman, chair of ARMA’s Sustainability Task Force. “Our work to develop these resources helps ensure that the asphalt roofing industry can fully participate in increasingly important green building practices.”
The five EPDs from ARMA are now publically available and can be accessed on ARMA’s website.

Asphalt-based roof systems have a long-standing track record of success in the roofing industry. In fact, asphalt-based roof systems have more than a century of use in the U.S. Building owners, roofing specifiers and contractors should not lose sight of this fact. It is important to understand why asphalt roofing has been successful for so long. Asphalt roofs demonstrate characteristics, such as durability and longevity of materials and components, redundancy of waterproofing, ease and understanding of installation, excellent tensile strength and impact resistance. Each of these characteristics helps ensure long-term performance.

There are two types of asphalt-based low-slope roof systems: modified bitumen (MB) roof systems and builtup roof (BUR) systems. MB sheets are composed primarily of polymer-modified bitumen reinforced with one or more plies of fabric, such as polyester, glass fiber or a combination of both. Assembled in factories using optimal quality-control standards, modified bitumen sheets are manufactured to have uniform thickness and consistent physical properties throughout the sheet. Modified bitumen roof systems are further divided into atactic polypropylene (APP) and styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) modified systems. APP and SBS modifiers create a uniform matrix that enhances the physical properties of the asphalt. APP is a thermoplastic polymer that forms a uniform matrix within the bitumen. This matrix increases the bitumen’s resistance to ultraviolet light, its flexibility at high and low temperatures, and its ability to resist water penetration. SBS membranes resist water penetration while exhibiting excellent elongation and recovery properties over a wide range of temperature extremes. This high-performance benefit makes SBS membranes durable and particularly appropriate where there may be movement or deflection of the underlying deck.

BUR systems consist of multiple layers of bitumen alternated with ply sheets (felts) applied over the roof deck, vapor retarder, and most often insulation or coverboard. BUR systems are particularly advantageous for lowslope applications. The strength of the system comes from the membrane, which includes the layers of hot-applied bitumen and the reinforcing plies of roofing felt.

FACTORS FOR LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE AND SERVICE LIFE

It is important for building owners and roof system designers to recognize the principles of long-lasting, high-performance roof systems. Roof longevity and performance are determined by factors that include building and roof system design, job specifications, materials quality and suitability, application procedures and maintenance. The level of quality in the workmanship during the application process is critical.

Longevity and performance start with proper design of the asphalt-based roof system. Proper roof system design includes several components: the roof deck, a base layer supporting a vapor retarder or air barrier when necessary, multi-layer insulation and a coverboard, the asphaltic membrane, appropriate surfacing material or coating, and the attachment methods for all layers. Roof consultants, architects and roof manufacturers understand proper design. Roof design needs to follow applicable code requirements for wind, fire and impact resistance, as well as site-specific issues, such as enhanced wind resistance design, positive drainage and rooftop traffic protection. Roof designers can provide or assist with the development of written specifications and construction details that are specific to a roofing project for new construction or reroofing.

Low-slope asphalt-based roof systems are redundant; they are multi-layered systems. BUR systems include a base sheet, three or four reinforcing ply sheets and a surfacing, either aggregate (rock) or a cap sheet. MB sheets include one and sometimes two reinforcing layers and are commonly installed over a substantial asphaltic base sheet. Modified bitumen roofs can be granule surfaced, finished with reflective options or coated after installation. Aggregate, granules, films and coatings add UV protection, assist with fire resistance, provide durability to the roof system and can improve roof aesthetics.

An asphaltic cap sheet with a factory-applied reflective roof coating is installed over three glass-fiber ply sheets and a venting base sheet. The reflective coating reduces heat gain, and insulating concrete provides a stable substrate and high R-value. PHOTO: Aerial Photography Inc.

Coverboards provide a durable layer immediately below the membrane, are resistant to foot traffic and separate the membrane from the thermal insulation layer. Protecting the thermal insulation helps maintain the insulation R-value as specified and installed.

Asphalt is a durable and long-lasting material for roof membranes and flashings. Asphalt is stable under significant temperature swings and can be highly impact resistant. Various reinforcements can be used to increase an asphaltic membrane’s durability. All asphaltic membranes are reinforced, during installation (BUR) or the manufacturing process (MB membranes). Polyester reinforcement has excellent elongation, tensile strength and recovery. It provides good puncture resistance and stands up well to foot traffic. Glass fiber reinforcement resists flame penetration and provides excellent tensile strength and dimensional stability.

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July/August 2019

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Roofing is a national publication that unravels, investigates and analyzes how to properly design, install and maintain a roof system. Through the voices of professionals in the field, Roofing’s editorial provides a unique perspective.